


Adrift

by broken_fannibal



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, Light Angst, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, more tags to come as this goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-04-18 21:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14221947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_fannibal/pseuds/broken_fannibal
Summary: There had been several attacks on Downworlders and Magnus was missing.Inspired bythis prompt.





	1. Chapter 1

There had been several attacks on Downworlders, they didn't yet know who was responsible. It could be Valentine or a fight among Downworlders. It certainly wouldn't be the first time for either.  
Isabelle went to visit Raphael to ask if he heard anything, Jace and Clary were going to the Jade Wolf. Alec was going to call Magnus.

When they met back at the Institute Alec was pacing around one of the tables.  
Isabelle asked: “What is it?”  
“Magnus isn't answering his phone.” his eyes jumped from Izzy to Jace and back to the floor. He was nervous, scared even.  
“Oh. Ha-” Jace started.  
But Alec interrupted him, still pacing. “And I called Dot to ask if she heard from him. She said she hasn't. So she tried to call him, she said she couldn't reach him either.”  
“Ok. What do we do?” Jace looked at him.  
“Check his apartment. Look for him. Maybe at clubs, he goes to.”  
“Alright. Sounds like a plan.” Jace nodded.  
“I'll go to his apartment. You check the clubs?” Alec pointed at Jace and Clary.  
Izzy looked up at her brother. “I'll come with you.”  
He nodded. When the two other were gone, he quietly said: “Thank you.”  
She patted his arm and they went off together.

They found his apartment as it always was. As if Magnus had just left. There was no sign of a break in, no struggle, nothing out of place.  
Alec sighed and went out onto the balcony.  
After a while, Izzy followed him. She held her phone out in front of her, she was calling Jace.  
Jace picked up. “Yeah?”  
“Any sign of him?” she asked.  
“No. We're on our way to the third club now.” There was a short pause. “I guess you haven't found anything?”  
“No.” Alec answered. He stared out over the city, a deep frown on his face.  
Izzy took his hand.  
“At the club, we asked a couple of people if they had seen him or heard of him.” Clary told them.  
“And?” Izzy caressed Alec's hand.  
“One guy said he saw him three days ago. Was buying some ingredients. I asked what he bought. He said most weren't that special, but some were rare.”  
Alec immediately asked: “Did he say which ones?”  
“Yes. I wrote them down. I'll send them to you.” Jace hung up.

Alec called Dot and asked her to come to Magnus´ apartment. Maybe she knew what kind of spell he could have needed the ingredients for.  
She arrived through a portal several minutes later.  
Alec had been pacing again.  
They all sat down together and told Dot the ingredients.  
“Wow, the last two are quite rare. I don't know any spell one could need those for...” she bit her lip in thought. “I'll get a book, maybe we can find something in there.”  
A minute later she was back with a thick old book. Dot sat down and flipped through the pages. She kept shaking her head.  
After many minutes she shut the book and looked up at them. “I don't know. My guess is that it's something old.”  
Alec sighed, he dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders slumped.  
Isabelle reached out and caressed his shoulders.  
“I will ask around if anyone has heard of him or seen him.” Dot got up.  
“Thank you.” After a short pause, Izzy added: “Be careful.”  
Dot turned around again and cocked her head.  
“In the last days, we found several Downworlders who were killed. We don't know who did it.”  
“Oh.” she looked even more worried. “Do you think... he could be...”  
Izzy shook her head. “No. If he was dead we would have found him.”  
At that moment her phone rang. They all froze. What if someone had found Magnus´ body now.  
She quickly picked up. It was Jace, she put him on speaker.  
“Anything?”  
“No. No sign of him. No one's seen him in three days.”  
Alec gave a heavy sigh.  
“If he was... we would have found him already, right?” Alec asked. His voice was quiet.  
“Whoa, slow down, Alec. I don't think he's dead. And yes if he was we would have found him. But what makes you think that anyway?”  
“I just... it's just...” He sighed again. “We asked Dot if she knew the spell Magnus could have needed the ingredients for. She even looked through this old book and it's not in there, she doesn't know. We don't know anything.”  
Jace sighed. “Let's meet back at the Institute.” With that, he hung up.

On the next day, they had to admit to themselves that they had run out of places to search and people to ask. They had no idea where Magnus could be.  
Alec had shut himself in in his room, he refused to come out.  
On day three he refused to eat. Before that day they had been able to convince him to eat some toast and soup every day.

Izzy sat outside Alec's room for hours every day, talked to him, mostly just at him. He rarely answered. Sometimes she was able to convince him to open the door a little, to let her hold his hand. Some days he agreed to eat a bit. She knew that he couldn't go on like this much longer. She didn't want to let him. She didn´t know if he even slept or took showers.

She talked to Clary and Jace again after she brought the empty plate back from Alec´s room on day 8.  
"At least he ate something." Jace said.  
"Yeah." Izzy sighed. "But he's not doing well, not at all. I don´t know how much longer he can do this."  
Clary nodded. "But what can we do? There's still no sign of Magnus."  
Izzy bit her lip in thought. "Go look through his apartment again.” When Jace rolled his eyes, she said: “I know we´ve been there so many times already but it's one of the two places I can imagine him going.”, she paused. “I'll call some warlocks to ask if they´ve seen him now."  
"Alright." Jace nodded and they headed off.  
Izzy went back to her room to make the phone calls. First, she'd call Dot, she was closest to Magnus.  
It turned out Dot was at Magnus apartment with Jace and Clary. She hadn't heard anything either.  
Izzy sighed and slumped down on her bed. She had been staring at the ceiling for a while when she heard a quiet knock on the door. She frowned and got up.  
When she opened the door, she was surprised to see a child standing in front of her. A little boy in tattered clothes. He couldn´t be older than 5 or 6.  
She crouched down in front him. "Did you get lost?"  
The boy sighed. "Something went wrong with a spell. I was transformed back to this and teleported to a place I didn't know. My magic is strange too. Something´s off."  
Izzy cocked her head, there was something familiar about the boy. Then she noticed his eyes, gleaming yellow cat eyes.  
"Magnus?" she couldn't believe it.  
He nodded.  
"You should have gone to Alec first. He's worried sick!"  
Magnus nodded, pain in his eyes. "I know, I know. But my memory is flawed. I can´t remember where his room is."  
"Oh." she said softly. "Come on, we'll go together." She smiled at him and got up. When she didn't hear his footsteps following her, she turned around.  
Magnus looked even paler than before. He stood, supporting himself on the wall with a hand. His legs were shaking.  
"All the travelling and using magic has exhausted me." He sighed and pushed off the wall. He took slow, wobbly steps towards her.  
"Should I carry you?"  
He looked up, a mix of emotions on his face.  
"That way I can directly pass you over to Alec's arms. He can hug you immediately."  
His eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Okay."  
Izzy smiled a little and picked him up. She almost ran to Alec's room.  
When they were there she shifted Magnus to her hip, so she had one hand free to knock on the door. "Alec, it's me."  
"What do you want, Izzy? I'm not hungry." His voice sounded tired, monotone.  
Magnus gave a shocked gasp. His little hands tightened in the fabric of her shirt.  
"Magnus is here."  
They heard steps getting closer to the door, they stopped in front of it. "What?"  
"Yes, you heard right. Magnus is here."  
"I..."  
"Open the door, Alec."  
He did. He looked terrible, dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess. He looked at the boy in her arms. Then back at her. "That´s a child, Izzy."  
"It's him.”, she insisted.  
He frowned at her.  
“Look at his eyes."  
Alec did. His eyebrows rose and a soft gasp escaped him.  
Magnus sleepily lifted his head from Isabelle´s shoulder to properly look at Alec.  
"He's a child." His voice was hopeless.  
"Not entirely. It's just his body, not his mind."  
"Oh." he said softly.  
Magnus nodded. "She's right, Alexander."  
Tears began to fill Alec's eyes, he recognised him now. He licked his cracked lips and took a shaking breath.  
Magnus looked at Izzy.  
She nodded at him and stepped closer to her brother. "Take him."  
Alec stammered: "Uh... h-how-"  
Magnus stretched his arms, his little hands touched Alec's chest, he tried to wrap his arms around Alec's neck. Alec reached for him, his hands under Magnus´ arms like he had seen Izzy hold him. He pulled him close. There was an awkward moment where Magnus almost fell, Alec just managed to catch him, with an arm around his back.  
Izzy took Alec's arm and positioned it under Magnus butt.  
He shyly smiled at his sister, then he turned back to his room and heard her close the door. Magnus´ small hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt and he heard little sobs. His eyes widened.  
"I-I missed you so much, Alec." he managed to say between sobs.  
Alec pulled him even closer. "I missed you too. I didn't know if you were even alive."  
Magnus sniffled and yawned.  
When Alec sat down on the bed and started letting go of him, he made a noise of protest and held onto Alec even tighter.  
"Don't let me go." Magnus mumbled.  
"I- Okay. How about we lie down together? I can... hold you."  
A shiver went through Magnus body and he nodded.  
They cuddled up together. Even before Alec had pulled the blanket over them Magnus was already asleep.

Izzy went to look for Jace and Clary to tell them about Magnus. Then she called Dot to inform her Magnus was alive and safe, but in the body of a child.  
Dot was confused but relieved. “Did he say how that happened?”  
“A spell went wrong, that's all he said.” Izzy told her.  
“I'll come to Institute. I can talk to him, maybe we can work something out together.”  
“Yes, that's great.” After a short pause Izzy added: “But I think he's asleep at the moment, he was really tired.”  
“Okay. Could you call me when he's awake?” Dot asked.  
“Of course.” She hung up.

Dot looked through her books for a spell to reverse such a transformation. There was one to make a person older or younger but it was for mind and body, which wasn't what they needed.

Roughly eight hours later Alec showed up with a clingy sleepy Magnus in his arms.  
“The world okay again?” Izzy smiled at them.  
Alec huffed and looked away. “For now, yeah.” Magnus had started sliding down again, so he had to pull him up a little. “We just have to figure out how to get him back to normal.”  
Izzy nodded. “Dot said she´ll come around when he's awake so they can figure something out.”


	2. Chapter 2

After both Alec and Magnus had eaten breakfast they sat down with Dot.  
Magnus stayed close to Alec, their arms touching. Magnus seemed very reluctant to break contact.  
For a moment Alec thought about saying something, but then Dot started speaking.  
"I haven't found any spell to reverse this.", she looked at Magnus. "What spell were you trying to cast?"  
"A quite complicated warding spell."  
"Old?"  
"Very."  
She nodded. "That explains why I couldn't find it in any book I own."  
Magnus nodded. "A friend gave it to me a long time ago on a piece of parchment."  
"Where is it now?" Dot asked.  
Magnus gave a deep sigh. "I don't know. My guess is it got lost in the explosion."  
She looked down.  
It was quiet for several minutes.  
"Uh... Jace texted me the ingredients you bought. Is that any use?" Alec asked.  
Magnus looked surprised. "It might be."  
Alec got his phone and searched for the message. When he found it he gave his phone to Magnus.  
He studied the ingredients, then handed the phone to Dot. She conjured a piece of paper and a pen and wrote them down.  
"Birch bark collected in the moonlight is used to ward off lesser demons. And this one brings immunity to old curses as far as I know." Dot said.  
Magnus nodded. "The third and fourth one make the procedure more stable."  
Dot nodded, she spun the pen in thought.  
Magnus frowned, one of his fingers tapped on the table. "I might know something..." He stared at the table top for several minutes.  
When the frown on his face eased Dot and Alec looked at him in expectation.  
"I... have an idea. I don't know if it will work. I don't know how safe it is. But it is the only thing I can think of."  
"It's worth a shot. What do we need?" Dot asked.  
"Wait wait wait!” Alec interrupted. “You said you didn't know how safe it is. Don't you think you should try something else first?"  
Magnus looked over at him. "Alexander, I appreciate your concern. But this is the only possibility either of us knows. We have to take the chance."  
Alec looked at Magnus, a worried frown on his face. He sighed. "You're the warlock. It's your body. It's your decision."  
"Have a little faith in us." Magnus smiled at him.  
Dot conjured another piece of paper and looked at Magnus expectantly.  
“We will need heart cress, moonflower, red grass picked at sundown. I think I have some of that in my flat. And birch bark collected at noon. Some cat fur too. Oh and most importantly raindrops caught in midair.”  
Dot had written it all down. “Okay, I have some moonflower at home. Do we need the leaves or the petals?”  
“Both.”  
She shook her head. “I only have leaves.”  
Magnus´ eyes narrowed for a second. “I have cat fur and red grass. You have moonflower leaves.”  
Dot nodded. “We need heart cress, moonflower petals, birch bark and raindrops.” She tapped each item with the pen as she went down the list. “I'll go ask some people, see if they sell some of the things we need.”  
“I will get the bark tomorrow. I know a good place.” Magnus said.  
She nodded. “Good. I'll be off, see what I can get. I'll call you.”  
Magnus nodded and smiled gratefully.  
When Dot was gone he gave a deep sigh and leaned against Alec. He stayed like that for a while, closed his eyes.  
Alec looked at him, wrapped an arm around his slim shoulders.  
Magnus smiled at the touch.  
"You really think you´ll be able to pull that off?" Alec asked.  
Magnus hummed. "While I might not be at the peak of my power, I trust Dorothea." After a short pause, he added: "If it calms you I can also ask Catarina to help us."  
Alec nodded. "I would appreciate that."  
"I'm so tired." Magnus pushed closer to Alec. "And my hands are cold."  
Alec took his hands in his own to warm them. "You said it took you a lot of energy to get here. I guess it's only normal that you're tired."  
Magnus nodded. "I think I´ll sleep a little. Could you call Catarina?"  
"Sure." Alec pulled Magnus into his lap. "What should I tell her?"  
"That I would appreciate her help." Magnus yawned. "Oh, and what happened. So she knows why. And with what."  
"Okay." Alec pulled him even closer and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. When he was sure that Magnus was asleep, he got up and carried him to his room. After tucking him in, Alec called Magnus` friend.  
He told her about their situation and that it would be safer if she was there as well. She was very understanding and immediately agreed.  
"Is there anything I can get? Anything you need?" Catarina asked.  
Alec rummaged through his brain to remember what it was that Magnus had said he'd get. Then he remembered: "Um.. they need birch bark that was collected at noon."  
"Okay. I will get that and then we´ll come over to the Institute."  
"We?" Alec asked, confused.  
"I can't leave Madzie alone here. And I bet she´ll be happy to see you two."  
Alec smiled. "Alright, see you later."

About an hour later Madzie and Catarina arrived.  
Alec welcomed them and they went to his room, where Magnus was still sleeping. They stood by the door.  
"Where is Magnus?" Madzie asked quietly.  
"That's him there on the bed. A spell went wrong and his body was made young.", Alec explained.  
"Oh." she whispered. Madzie walked over to the bed and looked at him. She had a frown on her face. When she went back to Alec, she asked: "Is he my age?"  
He shrugged. "Could be."  
Madzie looked back at the bed over her shoulder, then she took off her shoes. She yawned and crawled under the duvet to lay down next to Magnus. She cuddled up to him and soon fell asleep.  
Alec and Catarina smiled at each other. They quietly left the room and went to the kitchen.

They had sat, talked and drank tea for a quite a while when Dot arrived.  
"I have almost all we need." She patted her bag. "Just the raindrops left. I´ll portal somewhere where it's raining now."  
Alec nodded. "Great."  
When Dot was gone again, they decided to go check on Magnus. He was stirring awake while Madzie was still sleeping soundly beside him.  
Alec smiled at how they were cuddled up.

When Magnus woke up he felt arms wrapped around him. For a moment he thought it had all just been a bad dream and that he was laying in his bed with Alec. It would have been nice. But when he opened his eyes he saw Alec sitting in an armchair, he was smiling.  
Magnus frowned and turned his head to see who was sleeping next to him. His eyes widened when he saw it was little Madzie. He smiled and looked back at Alec.  
His smile widened when he saw Catarina sitting on a chair next to Alec.  
She smiled back.  
They were silent for a while longer, then Catarina said: "I brought the birch bark, so you won't have to get it."  
"Thank you."  
"Dot brought everything except the raindrops." Alec gestured towards a bag on the floor next to his feet.  
"Good." Magnus´s eyes narrowed for a split second. "We have to perform the spell shortly after midnight."  
Catarina nodded. "Then we still have some time to kill. You can sleep some more if you want to." She smiled.  
A smile broke out on his face. "Yes. That sounds like a great idea." He closed his eyes and nuzzled into the pillow again.

After several minutes Alec's phone buzzed. "It's Dot." he told Catarina and quickly got up and left the room.  
"I have the raindrops." she announced.  
"Great. While Magnus was awake he told us the spell has to be performed at midnight. So we still have about 7 hours. You can get some rest if you want to."  
"Oh. Okay in that case, yes. I'll get some sleep."  
"See you." Alec said.  
"Bye."  
Alec hung up and went back to his room. As he was just about to say something he saw Catarina had fallen asleep. He got a blanket and draped it over her.

He stood in the room for a minute and thought about what to do. They were all sleeping peacefully. Alec smiled at Magnus and Madzie cuddled up as they were. He knew he should try to get some rest as well, but he found that he didn't have it in him to sleep now. He decided he'd go looking for a place where they would be able to safely perform the spell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please consider leaving kudos/ comments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished the third and last chapter! Enjoy

Alec looked around the gardens and came upon a smaller secluded part of that would do nicely.  
Shortly after he went back inside Izzy called him.  
"So how are things going?" she asked.  
"Uh, good. I guess. They found a way, but it's difficult. The spell has to be performed a bit after midnight so we still have some time to kill. Dot, Catarina and Magnus are sleeping."  
"Good." Izzy paused. "Why aren't you sleeping?"  
He huffed. "I can't."  
"Too much on your mind again?" she guessed.  
"Probably." He sighed. "Magnus said he doesn't know how safe it is. He seems confident they can do it... but I don't know."  
"Trust Magnus. He knows what he's doing. If he says they can do it, I don't see any reason not to believe him. He's never really been wrong, has he?"  
Alec nodded. "No, he hasn't." After a short pause, he added: "Hm. Okay."  
Izzy smiled. "Wanna go have some coffee together?"  
"Yeah, sounds good." Alec hung up and got on his way to the kitchen.

The warlocks ground and mixed all ingredients except the raindrops together in a bowl.  
Magnus slowly poured in the raindrops while Catarina stirred. Soon they had a thick paste.  
Dot showed them the sheet with the symbols that had to be painted on the floor. They studied it again and then got to work.  
Magnus went over to Alec who stood by the side and watched them closely. "It will work. Don't worry."  
Alec sighed. "I know. I should trust your judgement. I just..." He kept his eyes fixed on the floor.  
Magnus stepped into his vision and looked up at him, his head tilted far back.  
"I'm worried. I can't help thinking... what if something goes wrong?"  
Magnus smiled. "I trust Catarina and Dot with my life. Quite literally in this case. You don't need to worry. They are very much capable of doing this."  
"Okay." Alec nodded. "I trust you."  
A smile spread on Magnus' face.  
Then Dot came up to them. "Magnus, could you check over if we painted everything correctly?"  
He nodded and took the paper from her. He walked around the circle, kneeled down several times. When he was done, he looked up. "Everything's right."  
Catarina looked at Dot and together they stood on opposite sides of the circles to test if it worked.  
The marks on the floor started to glow bright green and the smell of fresh rain filled the air.  
They stopped and nodded at each other.  
"We have still have fifteen minutes." Catarina informed them.  
She and Dot studied the incantation again.  
Magnus went to sit with Alec. He leaned into him and closed his eyes for a while.  
Alec wrapped an arm around him.

Catarina and Dot looked at them.  
"It's time." Cat said.  
Magnus nodded. He squeezed Alec's hands in reassurance. Then he went to stand in the circle.  
The warlocks stood at either side of the circle and started saying the incantation combined with their magic. At first, the lines on the floor started to glow a bright green, then the smell of fresh grass and rain filled the air as well. The lines glowed brighter and brighter, Alec had to look away.  
After they finished the incantation the glowing subsided and the lines pulsated in a fresh green. The wind picked up and rustled through the surrounding trees.  
Magnus twitched. His body was levitated into the air. He started growing, his body was caught in a whirlwind of green and orange magic.  
After a while, Alec saw that Magnus looked the way he usually did now. "Is he there yet?" he called over the roar of the wind.  
"No." Cat answered. "A while longer."  
"How much do you think? I don't think I can keep this up much longer!" Dot strained to keep her arms up.  
"A minute maybe? I can't say, I have to feel it."  
They were quiet again. Dot swayed. Alec went to help her but she told him to stay back, told him it was dangerous for him to go near since he wasn't a warlock.  
"I'll count down from ten. When I reach one we have to stop!" Cat shouted.  
Dot nodded.  
Catarina started counting down. As she said six, her eyes widened. "We have to stop now!"  
They said the part of the incantation that stopped the spell. The lines on the floor turned orange, then stopped glowing and everything went still.  
Magnus fell to the floor and broke down inside the circle.  
"Can I- Can I go to him?" Alec asked, not sure if it was safe for him yet.  
Catarina nodded.  
Dot sat on the floor, her chest heaving.  
Alec ran over to Magnus and kneeled down beside him. He hugged him tightly.  
Magnus sighed. With one hand he weakly reached for Alec's shirt. His fingers tightened in the fabric once before all the tension left Magnus body and his eyes drifted shut. His body sagged against Alec's side.  
With Catarina's help he got Magnus up and together they brought him back to Alec's room.  
Madzie sat by the window and looked up when she heard the door open. She smiled when she saw Magnus was back to normal.  
They put Magnus down on the bed and took off his shoes. His clothes were dirty and torn.  
Catarina smiled at Alec and patted his shoulder. "I'll come by tomorrow."  
Alec nodded. "Thank you so much for your help. Same to Dot."  
"I'll tell her." With that, she left the room again.  
Alec sighed and looked back at Magnus. Madzie sat beside him on the bed. Now she looked at Alec expectantly.

He knew he couldn`t let Magnus sleep in these rags. He got some of his own clothes and put them on the bed. Then he started undressing the unconscious Magnus. As Alec took off the shirt he discovered bruises and scratches on his dusty skin.  
"Madzie could you get a wet cloth from the bathroom, please?"  
She nodded and hopped off the bed.  
Alec pulled down Magnus pants and found bruises on his legs as well. There was a fairly big one on his right hip. He winced when he saw it. It must really hurt.  
Madzie came back and handed him the cloth. He quickly wiped down Magnus body and was surprised when she handed him a towel.  
He smiled at her as he took it. Then he dressed Magnus and pulled the duvet over him. Madzie slipped under the cover with him and snuggled against his side.  
She was instantly asleep. They looked cute, nestled together as they were.  
Alec felt a small smile spread on his face. He quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and took a few photos. He sent one to Izzy with the message "everything worked out. see you in the morning." Then he put on his pajamas and lay down on Magnus` other side. He entwined their fingers and quickly fell asleep.

When Magnus woke up it took him several minutes to orient himself and catch up with what had happened. He opened his eyes and was delighted to find Alec lying on his side next to him. And between them Madzie. One of her little hands lay in Alec's outstretched hand.  
Magnus smiled and covered their hands with his own. His entire body hurt and he felt quite dizzy but this feeling of happiness he found in the sight of his boyfriend and their- he paused. She wasn't their daughter. And yet he considered her that. He faintly shook his head at his own sentimentality and closed his eyes.  
He must have dozed off again because when he came to he was wrapped up in strong arms and little hands played with his hair. Magnus sighed and smiled.  
"Good morning." Alec leaned closer and planted a soft kiss on the back of his neck.  
"Good morning, indeed." His voice was still rough from sleep.  
Madzie hopped off the bed and padded to the bathroom.  
Magnus turned onto his back with a pained groan. He looked up at Alec.  
"Do you need anything? Painkillers?"  
He gave an amused huff at the concern on Alec's face. "For now I'm fine."  
"You're in pain. You don't have to be." Under Magnus mild protest Alec turned around to grab his phone from the nightstand.  
"What ´re you doing?" Magnus asked sleepily.  
"Texting Izzy to ask her if she can bring that lotion to make the bruises fade faster. And some food." After a short pause, he added. "I´m starving. Don´t think either of us ate much yesterday."  
Magnus nodded. "That's very thoughtful. Thank you."  
Alec smiled.  
Magnus closed his eyes again.  
Madzie came out of the bathroom and sat down next to them on the bed. "Are you okay, Magnus?"  
Magnus nodded. "Everything is back to normal now."  
She smiled and playfully poked his cheek.  
He chuckled and raised one hand to tickle her stomach.  
She giggled and gently pushed his hand away.

Soon Izzy knocked on the door.  
"Come in." Alec called. He didn't want to get up yet.  
The door opened and Izzy came in. She set a tray down on the nightstand. "I brought coffee, tea and toast. And the ointment." She pointed at the jar with the red cap.  
Alec smiled at her. "Thanks."  
A grin spread on her face. She looked over at Magnus, then her gaze travelled to the little warlock. "I have breakfast for you in the kitchen, Madzie. Catarina is there too."  
Magnus looked up at the mention of her name. "Oh."  
"I`ll tell her you´re awake. Just come downstairs when you're ready. I'm sure she can wait for however long you need." She smirked and looked back at Alec. "I showed her the pic you sent me last night."  
Alec chuckled. "And?"  
"She said it's very cute."  
"What picture?" Magnus brows were furrowed in confusion.  
"Oh, I- um..." Alec started.  
But Izzy raised a finger and got her phone to show Magnus.  
Magnus smiled. "I don't remember at all."  
"Well, you passed out right after the spell was completed." Alec explained.  
Magnus hummed, then he paused. "What am I- Oh? You gave me some of your clothes." He looked down at himself, his eyebrows raised in surprise.  
Alec nodded and pointed to a heap next to the armchair. "Didn't think you'd want to sleep in your old clothes."  
Magnus looked at the photo a little longer. Madzie leaned in to see it as well. She quickly lost interest and crawled off the bed to get her shoes.  
With one last smile, Izzy turned and left the room with Madzie on one hand.  
Alec sat up and reached for a toast. When he started eating it, he asked: "Do you need help to sit up?"  
Magnus shook his head and with some trouble, he finally managed to lean back against the headboard with a pillow in his back.  
Alec handed him the teacup.  
"Thank you." He took a sip and hummed appreciatively. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sensation of the warm liquid pooling in his stomach.

When they were done eating their breakfast Alec helped Magnus take off his shirt. He grimaced at the deep purple and green bruises all over Magnus back.  
"That bad?" he asked.  
"Some bruises are pretty big." Alec carefully traced the biggest one close to Magnus´ shoulder.  
"Oh. That does explain why my entire body hurts."  
Alec winced in sympathy. He planted a soft kiss on the back of Magnus' neck. Then he reached for the ointment and warmed it up in his hands. He generously applied it to all the bruises on Magnus´ back, even the ones that were already yellow. He then moved on to treat Magnus´ arms. Next, Alec sat down on the opposite side and began applying the ointment to Magnus' chest.  
Magnus sat very still, his eyes closed, his breath mostly even.  
Alec stopped when he saw Magnus lower lip trembling.  
Magnus didn't open his eyes for a while, he was too lost in the pain to notice Alec wasn't touching him anymore. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked at Alec in confusion.  
"Magnus if it's that bad, tell me to stop. You don't have to suffer."  
Magnus smiled wearily. He held out his hand to Alec.  
Alec frowned.  
"A simple spell to suppress the pain for a while. I'm too weak to do it alone."  
"Okay." Alec nodded and took Magnus hand.  
Magnus sighed in relief and his eyes slid shut.  
Alec finished applying the ointment to his chest. He put a towel on the sheets and motioned for Magnus to lay down. He hesitated with his hands hovering over the hem of Magnus´ pants.  
Magnus pushed them down.  
Alec pulled them off the rest of the way.  
They looked into each other's eyes for a while.  
"T-There is... um-" Alec stammered. "There's a bruise on your hip. Under your... underwear." He quickly looked away.  
Magnus lightly shook his head with an amused huff and pushed his underwear down.  
Alec took the hint and gingerly pulled it off his legs. He tried hard not to look at Magnus´ crotch.  
Magnus chuckled. He covered his penis with a hand. "Is this better?"  
Alec still couldn't meet his eyes, but he nodded.  
Then he leaned closer and started applying ointment to the huge bruise on Magnus´ hip. After that, he went on to treat the smaller bruises on his legs. Another big one was on Magnus left foot right at the ankle. It also looked swollen. Alec applied the ointment.  
"Does your ankle hurt?"  
"Hmm... a little." Magnus yelped when Alec took his foot and shifted it a bit.  
"Sorry, sorry." Alec apologised immediately.  
Magnus took a deep breath. "It's okay."  
Alec went to the bathroom and soon came back with a wet and a dry cloth. He sat down at Magnus' feet again. "It's cold. I'll wrap it around your ankle okay?"  
Magnus nodded and steeled himself for the cold.  
Carefully Alec lifted his foot and wrapped the wet cloth around it. After the dry cloth was wrapped around it too, he looked for something to pin it with. He found an old bandage pin in the drawer of his nightstand.  
They sat in silence for a while.  
"Alec?" his voice was soft.  
"Hm?" he looked up.  
Magnus sat there with his arms outstretched, reaching for Alec.  
Alec got up to go sit next to him again. "Do you help with a spell again?"  
Magnus just shook his head. He wrapped his arms around Alec's shoulders and leaned forward. "Just hold me for a while."  
"O-oh. Okay, yeah. I-I can-" he interrupted his own frantic rambling and wrapped his arms around Magnus.  
Magnus sighed and relaxed further.  
Alec shifted closer and leaned against the headboard. He carded a hand through Magnus' hair, the other caressed Magnus naked shoulder. In that moment he realised his boyfriend was still naked. It didn't bother him that much now.

Neither of them knew how long they had sat like this. Magnus leaned back a little and glanced up at Alec. He said nothing, just looked. Sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky he was that such a kind soul loved him and cared so deeply.  
Alec cocked his head and frowned.  
Magnus just shook his head and buried his face in the crook of Alec's neck.  
Shortly after Magnus abruptly leaned back and stared up at Alec. "I shouldn't let Catarina wait any longer."  
"Uh... okay. I don't think she minds. But sure, if you think so."  
Magnus' hands rested on Alec's forearms a while longer. "Alexander." He only continued when Alec looked into his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I would prefer to stay here with you. But I need to thank Cat."  
Alec nodded. "I understand."  
Magnus looked at him a while longer, then he turned around and began looking for the clothes Alec had given him.  
Alec shuffled off the bed and helped him.  
After some struggle with putting on the pants, Magnus was fully clothed again. He limped to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror and combed his hair. To Alec's surprise, he didn't use magic to style it.

Their way downstairs to the others was slow. Magnus walked with a limp. Alec had offered to support him but he had refused. Later Magnus was very grateful for the elevators.  
As the door of the elevator opened Alec looked to Magnus. "It's not too far now. I could still help you if you want?"  
Magnus sighed in defeat. "Please do."

Catarina's face lit up when she saw Magnus entering the kitchen. He looked worn out but still smiled when he saw her.  
Alec helped Magnus sit down on a chair, then sat down himself.  
Izzy offered him coffee, which he gratefully took. She pushed a cup of tea towards Magnus.  
"How are you?" Cat asked.  
He paused. Again, he had wanted to say 'I'm fine.'. Just like he always did. Not this time. "My body hurts, there are bruises everywhere. But I'm alive, taken care of and safe."  
Cat smiled and took Magnus' hands. "We're here for you."  
He smiled back and felt tears rise in his eyes. He throat was tight, he tried to say thank you, but it came out broken and barely understandable. So he simply nodded.  
Cat caressed his knuckles.

 

That evening they all ate dinner together at the Institute. Magnus felt a warm glow in his chest. These people cared about him, they were family. He couldn't help but smile.

 

Alec slipped under the covers with him, freshly showered. Magnus took a deep breath, the scent of Alec's herbal shampoo was fresh and calming. He turned onto his good side, his back to Alec.  
At first, Alec frowned. But then Magnus reached for his hand and draped it over his body. Alec understood and shuffled closer. He wrapped both his arms around Magnus middle and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck.  
Magnus chuckled softly. He covered Alec's hands with his own.  
The slow rise and fall of his boyfriend's chest against his back lulled Magnus to sleep.  
Alec was awake a little longer. He listened to Magnus' breaths as they evened out. It was cosy like this, warm and soft. His eyes drifted shut.

On the next day, Alec discovered Magnus had set the picture he had taken of him and Madzie as his lock screen. He smiled and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend's cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! Please consider leaving kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving kudos/comments!


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